All the talk today has been about the emphatic performance of Limerick in Croke Park and the importance of coaching at underage and developing the basic skills of our great game. The coaching genius of the likes of Paul Kinnerk (who started his hurling coaching days with the 'Bridge U21 hurlers in 2009 as part of Sean Stacks backroom team) has been overshadowed tonight with the announcement of Alan Icemen Mulready as U10 hurling coach of the year for 2020.

All the pundits will tell you winning one title is a great achievement but defending it successfully is what makes you a standout coach - In a year when the Bridge Senior hurlers successfully defended their title so too has Mulready. In 2019 he was named U8 coach of the year which resulted in a move up the ranks to the U10 team as part of Martin Conlons backroom team. While the season was start and stop for much of the early part the training really took off in September when the wall sessions in pods were a huge success. These sessions had a big emphasis on movement, striking and most of all fun something that Alan brings to his training in spades.

Conlon described him as a primus inter pares, even in a coaching team that included 2018 coach of the year John Reddin, 5 times Senior Championship winner Caimin Morey, All Ireland Feile Winner Paul Fitzpatrick and Conlon himself.

The Iceman has had a very successful career as a player winning 3 Clare senior titles, 2 Munster clubs and an All Ireland club and tonight spoke of some of his great memories playing for the club which included the All Ireland Feile Semi Final in the late 80's against Wolfe Tones which is thought was the largest ever crowd at a game in O'Garney Park while winning in Croke Park with his brother Ian in 1996 will always be the pinnacle.

Mulready admitted he has had some excellent coaches during his playing days in the club, while the passionate Limerick man Mick Mulcahy in Molex coached him to interfirm glory and Jim Spaight (Snr) installed a mental toughness in him during his time in the mountain colours in the parish league. Speaking of Parish, current Crystal Palace Chairman Steve Parish spoke of how he always knew Mulready was destined for greatness following his time spent as a professional footballer across the water. Mulready said of his time at Palace that he always had ambitions of playing for a big club in the big days and winning trophies which is why he came back to the Bridge hurlers!!

While bonfires can be seen burning in Ballyroe tonight, Mulready has urged everyone to adhere to Covid guidelines and assured us he will celebrate in style when restrictions are lifted. He is looking forward to the winter break as he pens another chapter to his memoirs and starts jotting down some new ideas to reinvent his sessions in 2021.

All in all 2020 has been a very enjoyable year for the 52 boys in the squad and 16 coaches who helped out all year. A big thanks to Martin Conlon who is driving force behind this squad with his energy, drive and organisation being an inspiration to coaches, players and parents alike. About half the boys will now move on to the U11/12 setup and our U8s will be welcomed with open arms into the U9/U10 squad for 2021 as the conveyor belt continues to move. Training has taken a break for the Christmas but we all look forward to the move into our arena of dreams in the spring.

BridgeAbú #AlwaysHurling